Ceramic vessels that are useful in holding liquid are known in the art. These include tea cups, coffee mugs, casserole dishes and serving trays, among other items. Disadvantageous aspects of ceramic vessels include that they chip or break relatively easily, provide little insulation and tend to stain with use.
Double walled vessels are also known in the art. These include stainless steel on stainless steel vacuum sealed vessels, stainless steel on plastic vessels and plastic on stainless steel vessels, among others.
Disadvantageous aspects of stainless steel on stainless steel (metal on metal) vessels includes that they are relatively expensive and difficult to print on. This is also true of stainless steel on plastic vessels (particularly with respect to printing). While a metal exterior may appear smooth and appealing, the ability to print on a surface is very important to add aesthetic aspects or to associate a vessel with a particular company or individual. For example, the sale or give away of printed coffee mugs and the like is an important part of the marketing efforts of many entities.
With respect to plastic on metal vessels, the plastic exterior may provide a more printable surface than stainless steel or permit insertion of a printed substrate between a transparent plastic outer shell and a metallic liner. Plastic on metal vessels are disadvantageous, however, in that they are generally perceived as looking “cheap,” printing wears off the plastic shell during use and washing, they tend not to be dishwasher safe and tend to develop leaks or cracks between the plastic and metal. In addition, due to their fabrication process, the shape into which plastic may be shaped is limited without employing prohibitively expensive molds and fabrication techniques.
A need thus exists for a liquid holding vessel that provides good insulation, is relatively inexpensive to produce, that when printed on holds the printed text or image, and that is aesthetically pleasing, among other desired attributes.